Stratford, cops reach tentative agreement

STRATFORD  Town and police union officials have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract after nearly 18 months of highly acrimonious negotiations.

Richard Weizel

Published 12:00 am, Thursday, August 21, 2003

The contract squabble resulted in arbitration and the union lodging an unfair labor practice complaint against the town.

Both sides said Wednesday after police held a rally last month outside Town Hall that spilled into a Town Council meeting, town and union officials started meeting outside the arbitration process.

Those talks resulted in "meaningful and productive" dialogue and agreement late Tuesday after the latest three-hour session, members of both sides said.

Though still awaiting final approval, the contract is retroactive to July 1, 2002, when the old contract expired, and will include a nearly 3 percent salary hike in each of the three years, said Police Union President Lt. Joseph McNeil.

He also said the union had made concessions regarding insurance coverage, but did not want to be specific about those details until after the pact is finalized.

"All we have wanted all along was a cost-of-living increase that everybody else is getting around the state," said McNeil. "We are ecstatic about the tentative agreement and will urge our members to ratify it.

If this offer had been made 18 months ago, we would have had a settlement long ago."

The union will vote on the agreement after the town and union officials complete what they termed "paper-work details" within the next two weeks. The Town Council would then have to approve it. McNeil said as a "good-faith gesture" the union also has withdrawn its unfair labor practices complaint.

Town Manager Mike Feeney confirmed Wednesday a "tentative agreement" had been reached and he believed it is "fair and equitable for both the union and the town.

"We are extremely pleased to have reached this point in our talks outside the arbitration process to be able to announce a tentative agreement," said Feeney.

Feeney, however, said he did not want to mention specifics of the contract other than to confirm it would be a three year deal.

Town Council Minority Leader Jennifer Hillgen, R-1, chairwoman of the towns Public Safety Committee, said she was both surprised and happy to hear talks had borne fruit.

"I believe the police do an outstanding job in this town and have been dismayed the contract talks had become so hostile," said Hillgen. "The way things were going it didnt look like it would be resolved in this fashion."

Hillgen added, "But its far better to have the two sides reach an agreement outside the arbitration process and without having to continue spending money on lawyers and court costs."

Talks broke down several months ago when the union sought binding arbitration after accusing the town of "lowball" offers and "bargaining in bad faith."

McNeil said he met with Feeney several times following a rally in July by nearly 100 police officers, friends and family, who marched from police headquarters to Town Hall to protest being without a contract for more than a year.

McNeil, who blasted town officials and filed the unfair labor practices complaint against the town with the state Labor Relations Board, said he believes the agreement is a "fair compromise" that will at least give police officers cost of living salary hikes.

Health Insurance issues have also been a major source of contention during the talks.